Lacing device



UNITED STATES PATENT oFFl'cE.

GEORGE WASHINGTON PAINE, OF SPOYKANE, WASHINGTON.

' LACING DEvrcE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatenteaApr. 11, 1922.

Application filed October 6, 1920. Serial No. 414,949.

Spokane and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lacing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates in general to lacing devices, and more particularly to lacing devices especially adapted foruse with shoes or the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a lacing device which, when associated with a shoe or the like, will serve to neatly and firmly secure the flaps of the shoe together and which provides a double expansion so that the flaps of the shoe may be loosened and the shoe may be put on and removed without the necessity of removing or unthreading the lacing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character of extremely simple and durable construction, which may be readily embodied in the shoe or other article to be laced and which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to manipulate by the.

wearer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside incertain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in theI appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in whichf- Figure l is a front elevational view, showingthe lacing device embodied in a shoe;

*igure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detail view in section of one form of fastening device;

Figure 4 is a similar view in front elevation;

Figure 5 is a detail view of one form of end securing device for the lacing; and

Figure 6 is a similar view of a modified form.

Referring to the drawings wherein I have shown my invention embodied in a shoe, the shoe is designated generally at A, and includes an upper embodying a pair of flaps, designated at B and C respectively. An in- Yner tongue D is arranged beneath and between the flaps B and C and secured at its lower end to the shoe. The tongue D has the protective functions of the ordinary tongue of the shoe.

An outer tongue or flap 10 is provided and preferably is secured at its lower end to the inner tongue D. The tongue 10 constitutes an intermediate flap for the pair of flaps of the upper and lies between the flaps B and C and is substantially coincident therewith.

A row of eyelets or similar fastening devices is arranged along each edge of each of the flaps B and C of the upper and are designated at 11 and 12, respectively. Arow of Similar eyelets or fastening devices is provided along each side edge of the flap 10, as designated at 13 and 14, respectively. The eyelets 11 of the flap B and the eyelets 13 of the lap 10 as well as the eyelets 12 of the flap C andthe Veyelets 14 of the flap 10 are adapted to coact in the lacing operation.

A lacing 15 is reeved through the eyelets of the rows 11 and 13 and 12 and 14. As shown in the drawings preferably a single lacing is employed for the two pairs of rows but if desired two lacings may be employed. As shown, the run 15a of the lacing 15 extends alternately through the eyelets of the rows 1l and 13 and the run 15b of the lacing 15 extends alternately through the eyelets of the rows 12 and 14.

At the upper end of the tongue there are provided suitable end Securing devices which are adapted to receive and secure the ends of the lacing. The devices 16 may be constructed as shown in Figure 5, with a V- shaped slot 16EL or they may be constructed as shown in Figure 6 and consist simply of a pair of eyes 16h.

In lieu of the eyelets which constitute the rows 11, 12, 13 and 14 studs may be employed. The studs to be employed in the present invention consist of a frame 17 having integral prongs 18 which secure the frame to the flaps to be laced. A pintle 19 is journaled in the frame 17 and a roller 20 is mounted upon the pintle 19.

In the use of the lacing device, the lacing is first inserted at the lower end of the intermediate flap and reeved through the eyelets, studs, or other fastening devices until the free ends of the lacing are positioned at the upper end of the upper of the shoe. When it is desired to place the shoe upon the foot, both runs 15a and 15b of the lacing are loosened and this double expansion permits of the placing of the shoe upon the foot without the necessity of removing the lacing or a portion thereof. After the shoe has been placed upon the foot the runs of the lacing are tightened so as to draw the iiaps B and C and the intermediate iiap 10 into edge' to edge relation which firmly and neatly secures the flaps together and the shoe upon the foot. The ends of the lacing are then arranged in and retained by the end securing devices 16. The ordinary tongue D at this time exercises its protective functions, and by securing the lower end of flap 10 to this tongue, the side flaps will be drawn to-V gether evenly during the lacing up process. When it is desired to remove the shoe the ends of thel lacing are removed from the end securing devices and the runs 15au and 15b of the lacing are loosened and the shoe may be easily removed without removing any portion of the lacing.

If desired the end securing devices 16 may be omitted and the endssecured by the conventional bow knot into which the ends of the lacing are tied. It is further to be under ranged loosely between the front edges of the I side flaps, land secured at its lower endto the aforesaid tongue and adapted to occupy a plane coinciding with the plane of the side flaps, the side edges of the intermediate flap v and the adjacent front edges of. the side flaps havingsimilar lacing receiving openings and a lacing cord reeved through the adjacent lopenings of the intermediate" flap edges and side flap edges.

GEORGE WASHINGTON PAINE. 1 

